More Than 1,800 Consumer Brands to Showcase at Licensing Expo

LOS ANGELES, March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Of the 5,000-plus brands showing at this year's Licensing Expo, 1,800 are from consumer goods categories such as household, automotive, publishing, sports, food,  beverage, corporate, and nonprofit.  They will be highlighted in the new Brands and Agents area of the show floor. The annual trade show is the world's largest and most influential brand, character and art licensing event­ and will take place June 18-20, at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Among the 1,800 consumer brands are premier household names including P&G's portfolio, Stanley, Elmer's, and X-ACTO. Honda, BMW, and Lamborghini will be showcasing in the automotive category, and in publishing, The Saturday Evening Post, Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times and Conde Nast will all have a place on the show floor.  Making appearances in the sports category will be NBA, MotoGP, Everlast, Lonsdale, Liverpool Football Club and the Slazenger, among others.

In the food and beverage world, brands such as Mars Retail Group, Mrs. Fields, Pop Tarts, SOBE, Tootsie Roll and Coca-Cola will showcase their portfolios alongside nonprofits, private organizations and government agencies like Oxford University, the U.S. Army, Boy Scouts of America and the United States Postal Service. Joining them will be more than 3,200 art, character, entertainment and fashion brands.

"The Brands and Agents area of the Licensing Expo will be a hub of heritage, prestige and pop culture brands, as well as a melting pot of what's hot in the world of licensing," says Jessica Blue, vice president, Licensing Expo. "The new show layout has allowed us to broaden both the scope of brands exhibiting and the number and diversity of attendees."

Food and Beverage exhibitor Coca-Cola comments: "Coca-Cola Worldwide Licensing has an enhanced presence at Licensing Expo 2013," says Kelly Kozel, project manager, Coca-Cola WWL. "The Coca-Cola space will be a platform for our brand message of optimism, and a showcase for best-in-class global partner programming in fashion, music, technology and more."

Licensing Agent Beanstalk has exhibited at Licensing Expo for 18 years and represents a portfolio of recognizable brands including Mr. Clean, Honda and U.S. Army. "Licensing Expo is the premier platform for showcasing the innovative brand extensions we've developed on behalf of our clients," says Debra Restler, associate vice president, business development and marketing, Beanstalk. "We look forward to connecting with both current and prospective partners to explore new opportunities, as well as networking with other industry experts."

For more information and to register to attend for free, visit www.licensingexpo.com.

For more Licensing Expo news, visit www.licensingexpo.com or find them on Twitter (@licensingexpo), on Facebook or via LinkedIn.

Notes to editors:
About Licensing Expo
Licensing Expo (www.licensingexpo.com) is the licensing industry's largest annual event. A trade show for leveraging properties and brand equity to develop merchandise, Licensing Expo attracts more than 400 exhibitors representing more than 5,000 brands and properties in entertainment; sports; fashion and apparel; publishing; art and design; automotive; animation/anime; home and housewares; and lifestyle. Exhibitors include Fortune 500 consumer brands, film studios, publishing houses and other creative agencies. Attendees from more than 80 countries represent the world's leading retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents. Licensing Expo is owned and organized by Advanstar Communications, Inc., is sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), and is affiliated with License! Global magazine and Brand Licensing Europe.

About Advanstar Communications, Inc.
Advanstar Communications, Inc. (www.advanstar.com), producer of Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, is a leading worldwide media company providing integrated marketing solutions for fashion, life sciences and power sports industries. Advanstar serves business professionals and consumers in these industries with its portfolio of 147 events, 68 publications and directories, 267 electronic products and web sites, as well as educational and direct marketing products and services. Market leading brands and a commitment to delivering innovation, quality products and services enable Advanstar to "connect our customers with theirs." Advanstar has approximately 1,000 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America and Europe.

SOURCE Advanstar Communications, Inc.